Just got the latest "Rifle" magazine, which has some interesting articles as usual. One is on the Browning BLR, a rifle whose mechanism has always interested me. BUT (Mike's big butt), the second-to-last para of the article made me glad I still have a 99C in .243:
"With the rack and pinion action, rotating bolt head, disconnecting trigger, push-down hammer, etc, the BLR is not a simple action and should never be disassembled by amateurs, as it can even challenge experienced gunsmiths."
If I recall correctly, by 1970 when the revised, Belgian-manufactured version of the BLR came on the market, Savage had been making lever action rifles-- in America--that handled high pressure "modern" ctgs. like the .243, .308, .284, and .358 for some years. You could even have them with a "modern" detachable clip if you needed more firepower! (I never have, although I have switched clips to put 55 gr. .243 rounds in when I spied a songdog in the distance and decided I wasn't in the mood for draggin' a buck through the manzanita anyway....).
I always sort of wanted a BLR--the rotating bolt kinda fascinates me. But I DO NOT need another machine that needs to go back to the warranty center for ordinary repairs like getting all the season's weed seeds out of the works....my phone is already smarter than I am.
Savage has always made simple, sturdy, affordable rifles. They've made some failures, but not because they made them too complicated or expensive. I like that a lot. Keeping it simple isn't stupid.
